


No fun colours, just for a while

by Sociopathbrony



Series: Trials of Home [2]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loneliness, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sociopathbrony/pseuds/Sociopathbrony
Summary: a few years since the baron took Mechanicsburg, Gkika feels the stress of staying hidden, of worrying if a Heterodyne will be found, of hoping the wild jägers aren't getting hurt too bad.
Series: Trials of Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156871
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	No fun colours, just for a while

The Heterodynes had disappeared before, certainly more than once in her lifetime, but it had never been like this. In better days, it had been that those who lived in Mechanicsburg could stay there, like the jägers. It had been that there wasn't an empire that was enforcing  _ peace _ everywhere, it hadn't been that someone had completely demolished the castle and that very little evidence remained of the Heterodynes being alive. Usually at least that secret keeping sneak of a general knew. Usually. It used to be always but now nothing could be that sure. Usually the Heterodynes returned. Usually the jägers could protect Mechanicsburg in their absence. Usually it wouldn't be that all the jägers had to leave so that they weren't killed except for the brave unlucky stupid few who decided to leave the pack to keep the loyalty of the Heterodyne’s most feared monsters credible.

Usually she wasn't left alone in her home where all she could do was wait while knowing the chances of seeing her brudders and seesters again was as likely as a snail racing tournament being completed in less than a day, and the time that Alfreik boy cheated doesn't count.

Gkika had been left in Mechanicsburg just in case a Heterodyne did return on their own somehow and needed help knowing what to do, or protect them if a fake tried to assassinate them. She was also there for if, ideally only when absolutely necessary, a jäger had to risk return because they were being stupid and got themselves injured worse than normal somehow. Gkika sometimes accidentally started thinking about how that would happen and immediately got a drink from her private collection when despair and lost hope came to mind. Wandering alone, or at least with not as many jägers as a jäger should be around, for who knows how long withstanding the elements and  _ people  _ with dwindling hope of ever returning home or seeing one of the line of the family they swore to their Heterodyne they would protect forever with the knowledge that maybe they finally failed and what if they had done such and such different?

  
  


Gkika took her preferred place behind the bar counter. It let her see a view of the whole bar, making sure those tourists who were slowly becoming more common in the establishment weren't getting frisky with her girls and without their permission. At least she still had some people she could protect while her brudders were away. A random townie came over, he had standard looking brown hair on a standard frame with a standard sleazy expression that always meant that person was going to be trouble and equally fun to mess with. 

“Hallo, vhat can hy getz hyu.” Gkika gave that sharp smile. The man laughed flirtatiously and gave a smug smile.

“Your smile is well enough. But your strongest stuff wouldn't be declined.”

Gkika raised her eyebrows and turned. Instead of the strongest, those were reserved for jägers, anyone else would die on the spot, she took down some Mechanicsburg specialty absinthe. A batch of it had been brewed some centuries ago as a fun test to see how people would react. While absinthe wasn't ever actually hallucinogenic, the Master had loved the idea and made it hallucinogenic anyways, and more of a glowy green colour. She poured a little less than a shot's worth in and handed it and a spouted glass of water to the waiting man, with the slotted spoon and a sugar cube. She didn't bother tell him how he  _ should  _ drink absinthe to avoid being immediately alcohol poisoned because if he was, well he wouldn't be a problem anymore. Alas he did know, or at least had a vague inkling and mixed the water and sugar mostly correctly, although didn't seem to know what the spoon was for, which made the absinthe end up with the louche all wrong. The man took it back in one go and Gkika devilishly smiled as he went back to being smug looking.

“Ha! That's the hardest you got?”

Gkika had a few moments before it would kick in. She poured herself some in a glass, set it on fire for no more than seven seconds, it had a brilliant blue glow while it lasted, then covered the top of the glass completely to exhaust the flames before breathing the fumes and throwing it back.

The man looked shocked. It changed to terror and she set the glass down, maybe harsher than necessary. By now the hallucinogenes kicked in and before the man, he saw a terrifying jäger, and with all the rumours who knew what that looked like. She took his glass back to draw his eyes to the movement and turned just the tips of her fingers a raging purple. He jolted upright so fast he flipped his stool and fell hard on the floor. The whole bar looked over to the loud crash and he started yelling.

“Monster! You're-you, it's gonna eat me!”

It just added to the noise. She shook her head at the dredges of sugar sludge in his poorly mixed glass, picking it up to wash it. Noone looked over.

Her smile faded. Her skin ached. It took energy to keep it a constant shade, a ghastly colour resembling people. She couldn't remember when she got dragged into the non-human mindset of her kin, hell, these days she couldn't remember the last time her skin could relax around someone, do what it was meant to. She held up her hand, getting the colour back just right, when one of the girls came up.

“Mamma? Hyu alright?” Tourists didn’t run out screaming unless they saw something, afterall, and letting them see anything was a risk.

She set the glass back where it belonged, finally together with others of the like after that gruelling outsider had hold of it. She sighed.

“Ho sveethot, is nottink hy ken feex. Iz chust gettink to me iz all.”

“It got thicker again, are you sure there's nothing we can do.”

Gika cleared her throat, getting the accent back under control. Somehow, there existed in the minds of tourists an idea of what a fake accent was and a real one, and one couldn't go too far. “Thank hyu, hy vill tell hyu if hy think of anyting.” The frau left. She leaned over the counter to watch the room.

  
  


Through the tiring day, the only relief was the lack of patients waiting below. It had just been over two years now and only one had come by for help. It’d been Danythi, his leg torn up so bad it was a miracle he made it there. He cried. She fixed him up and held him. Tears poured out with laments of almost getting captured. It seemed word that jägers were wandering alone had gotten out and the people were learning. Wanted to kill them, capture them, use their secrets to take power for themselves. Jägers weren't meant to be alone. Mardok hadn't made it, Danythi clings tighter. Pride. Their pride got them killed. Everyone knew it would eventually but hoped it would be in battle. Not this desperate attempt to live.

But there was no one here now, which she hoped meant they were staying out of trouble. Just that. 

The bar was closed now, she waited for the girls to finish changing and putting away their costumes for the night to see them out. It's the only time she can relax her skin, as long as she's not in the doorway, or in front of windows. Wulfenbach’s people are always watching. It shifts from the inconsistent peach, the ache fading to tenseness. The girls came out, nodding to the three hanging back, then looked up at her and smiled.

“Have a good night, Mamma”

“Hyu too dollinks, get home safe, ja?”

The three waited till the others were gone.

“Iz gettink late, or vhere hyu vantink to say someting?”

“You've gone yellow again. It's never much but do you want company?”

Gkika looked her hand over in some shock, had just been relieved to let her focus loosen; she didn't realise the colour. The mustard yellow turns brighter before her eyes, a new part of the learned code passed down through years of jägerfrau.

“Hy tink, hy vould, yez.”

“Costume or no costume?” she points back to the room.

“Only iffen hyu pick dem fer hyurselves.”

They jump excitedly and run back to the dressing room to dig through the stash for their preferred outfits. Out on the floor it had to be pristine, coordinated, and military, but this always felt more genuine.

The curtain was drawn, bolted down even. Gkika had changed into her sleep wear and hat. She could smell them before they passed the threshold to her room. One ran up to get the jump on her.

“Mamma!”

“Hallo Ixta.” the human was easily caught. “Zo vhat are hyu vearink? Hy dun tink hyve seen eet before.” 

“Vell hy gots mine hat from stock cause hy like de horns. De jacket vas mine poppa's vhen he vas married, und de vest I found back. Iz lucky hy found something vit de same pattern, ja?"

"Iz verra nice." She fell back onto the bed, Ixta squealing the way down. Gkika flipped them, wrestling to pin the fraud down. 

"Ho hy know hyur veakness, mamma, hyu vont get me dat easy!" Her hands were pinned above her before they moved more than an inch.

"Hyu obviously don't know vhat meks a general."

"Or mebbe hy is just a more subtle jäger." The sharp teeth grinned, real as any. The other two girls yanked Gkika's ankles out from under her, collapsing on top of Ixta who took the opportunity to squirm away before the real attack.

"Yaaagh!" She screamed, having to keep control to not kick the girls in the face. Their fingers danced over her soles a few seconds before she yanked them away. Both parties knew the rules, neither wanted anyone injured. "Ho hyu terrible children." She gentle tackled them to the ground. Without much strength behind it, they easily tousled her around. Ixta getting herself back up to block in her torso while the other two managed to flip her over and immobilize her limbs the best they could. Gkika let them, let the illusion of equal strength, of jager strength continue. Just until she gathered them all in her arms and sat up grinning.

"Und now hyu come vit me, hyu mizcreeants." She plopped them all on the bed, situating herself between them. They pressed around her in a pile, Ixta laying on top as if she were a pillow. One of the other girls behind her ran a hand through her hair, carefully avoiding Gkika's hat. Her skin went a light salmon before shifting more pink, then bluish, greenish. The rainbow washed over her before it slowed to a pale blue-green. 

"Ho mamma, it's gonna be alright." The frau curled in front of her nuzzle up under her chin.

"Hy know, girls." She patted the head below in reassurance. "In de mornink ve go back. No fun colours, iz chust for a vhile."

  
  



End file.
